Panic Gardening in the End Times: An Interventional Study of Homescale Gardening on Food Security During Times of Crisis

Abstract

While the 20th century was characterized by decreasing food insecurity globally due to innovations in food production and distribution, disruptions in both energy availability and climate stability in the 21st century are presenting profound challenges to all populations dependent on the industrial food system. Proximity to subsistence farming has proven to be the most durable characteristic of food security. This thesis examines the fragilities built into the industrial food system and reports on an intervention designed to model the potential impact and challenges associated with subsistence gardening in peri-urban settings under conditions designed to mimic a low-carbon, climate-disrupted environment. The study finds that time, expressed in multiple dimensions, is the greatest limiting factor for growing enough food to meaningfully offset dependence on the industrial food system with dietary choice ranking second. Developing a low-input method for starting seeds apart from the gardening space is also recommended to maximize impact.